Veterans Integration Program Helps Transition From Military to Finance

Placed across seven divisions in the New York and New Jersey offices, the program’s 15 interns participated in activities such as classroom training, networking events and a Community TeamWorks project. While in the program, each intern was paired with a mentor and a peer buddy from the Veterans Network. Throughout their time, participants also met a diverse group of Goldman Sachs leaders through weekly “brown bag lunches." Additionally, the interns took courses in financial markets and products through Goldman Sachs University and gained hands-on work experience through their placement with an active team at the firm.

Veterans Integration Program participant Jonathan Sieg, a former Naval officer, interned in the Securities Division and has since joined the firm full time. He said the program provided a great opportunity to introduce veterans with strong potential but little direct financial experience to Goldman Sachs.

“Veterans have skills and experiences that fit very well with the challenges and responsibilities of an environment like Goldman Sachs,” Jonathan said. “This program recognizes the value veterans can represent to the firm, and brings us inside the organization to see if it’s a fit for both us and Goldman Sachs.”

In order to qualify for the program, applicants must have completed at least one year of active military service and possess a Bachelors Degree, as well as a demonstrated interest in financial markets. Out of over 350 applicants, the fifteen veterans who enrolled came from backgrounds in all four branches of the military: the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. In the past, Goldman Sachs has also partnered with veterans organizations such as Wall Street Warfighters Foundation, which identifies and places disabled veterans in finance careers, and Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS), an organization that supports veterans and reserves in the financial industry.

In 2010, Goldman Sachs Gives pledged $20 million over a five-year period to fund nonprofits that help veterans integrate into civilian life. The Goldman Sachs Veterans Network aids the professional development of veterans within the firm while also recruiting recent veterans transitioning into the workforce from active duty.

For more information about the Goldman Sachs Veterans Integration Program or to refer veterans for employment, please contact GSVeterans@gs.com.